Distributor and lock therefor



Juy 2l, 1931. o. s. HERSHEY ET AL l DISTRIBUTOR AND LOCK THEREFOR Filed Nov '7, 1928 Patented July 21, 1931 UNi'rse srares PATENT orifice DEVILLE S. HERSHEY AND ERNEST J. VAN

SICKEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQRS,

. BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TQ OAL a GGRI'OIATIGN, OF NORTE (SI-ILIGAGQiy ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN DISTRIBUTOR ANI? LIC-CK TIIEREFOR Application filed November 7, 1928.

An obj ect of the invention is to provile a distributor for automobile ignition circuits adapted to control the making and breaking of the circuit through the interruptor, the whole being contained in a distributor casing so that external means cannot be used to circumvent said control.

Another object is to provide remote controlfor said distributor preterably operated by a lock cylinder. A further object is to provide a separate flexible control means adapted to be secured at one end to a remote part et the automa bile, such as the dash, and at the other' 'to the -distributor casing.

A still further object is to provide a control means so arranged as to be likely to render the ignition inoperative ii the control ot 'the distributor is tampered with.

These and other objects7 as will hereinafter appearfare accomplished by this invention which is fully described in the following lspecilication and shown iii the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of the distributor showing an interrupter or vbreaker in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through a lock associate( therewith;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4f. is a partial section on line ot 1 5 and Fig. is a wiring diagram of an ignition circuit f embodying this invention.

This invention is adapted to be used in connection with distributors and interrupters of well known form now used in automobile ignition.

i" The embodiment illustrated comprises a metal casing 10 adapted to be placed within an insulating `housing (not shown) oin a dis- Vtributor and surrounding the usual distributor shaft 1-1.` This distributor which is intended to be usel in connection with a sin -cylinder engine has a hexagonal cani 12 upon which operates a cam follower 13 carried by f an interrupter arm 14C. rllhe latter is pivot- --ally -mounte'd upon a pin 15 `but is insulated th'erefrom and carries a breaker point 16 which normally makes contact with a breaker Serial No. 317,822.

points 17 adjustably -carried upon a screw 18, the latter beine' threaded to a block 19.

inc bioci 1S) is connected to a wire 2O with one side of a condenser 21, t-he Aother side of the condenser (notI shown in detail) bein@T grounded upon the metal casing 10 which, in turn, is grounded on an automobile chassis, as will later be described. Themetal casing 10 has an extension 10aN w iich is hollow and preferably rectangular in form. llithin this is located a rectangular sleeve and within this sleeve is a block 23 of ins ting material which is .grooveclto receive a metallilunger 24. This plunger has pieces of insulation 2da inserted therein. Between these pieces of insulation, however, isla por tion 25 adapted to be engaged, when in inidpositiou as shown in Fig. llby a metal spring 2 6 which is otherwise 'insulated from the metal casing, and is carried upon an insulating pin 26a. ylhis spring connects with the arm 11i and serves the double purpose holding the arm 14 closed so as to normally maire contact between the breaker pointsl 16 and 17. Y l

'E he plunger 24 carries a screw 27 by means ot which it is adjustahly securedto a wire 28 which passes therethrough and out through a tlexible metal conduitf29. 4rlfhisioonduit is secured vithiii a metal block 30 which,4 in

tui-n, is secured within the eXtension 101 "of not readily be removed.

The wire 28 and its enclosing conduit Y29 extend to some convenient point on the auto mobile trame such as a dash 32 (seeFig. 2.), to which it is then secured by means of'a lock mechanism which will now be described, and which controls the operation 'of the plunger 24. T he conduit 29is securedwithin a block 33 which,in turn, issecured within a tubular member -3-1 preferably by welding at 35. lThe tubular member tcarifies at its iront end a lock housing 36 withiiiwhich is a rotatable lock cylinder 37 whichfis fsecured to a tubular member 38 within which is located a cam groove 32X Y d A pin (not shown) carried 'by a hollow member 40 operates in the cam slot 39, and the member 40 is prevented from turning by means of a key 4l in a key slot 42 in the member 33. It will thus be seen that as the lock cylinder 37 is turned, the member 40 and wire 28 will be drawn to the left, thereby pulling the plunger 24 in against the action of a spring 43 within the sleeve 22. In the Aposition shown in Fig. l, electric current will flow through the arm 14, spring 26, plunger v 24, and thence through the sleeve 22 and casing l() to ground. By this arrangement, the operation of the interrupter is not interfered with except to break the circuit leadr ing thereto. The rest of the wiring diagram shown in Fig. 5 will be understood without further explanation, it being illustrative only of a circuit with which this device can be used.

The circular portion of the casing l0 has a series of grooves 44 adapted to receive outwardly extending ears 45 on the circular metal cover 46 (see Fig. 4). These pass through openings 47 in the top of the casing 10. These earsl and openings are similarly but unequally spaced so that the cover will fit in only one position. This is so because the depending lug 48 (see Fig. l) will lie in front o'f the plunger 24. The plunger has a diagonall v disposed slot 49 in the upper portion which permits the lug 48 to pass in the unlocked normal position shown. IVhen locked, the plunger is retracted so that the slot 49 is no longer in the path of the lug 43 and the lug strikes the plunger and is stopped. The plunger 24 will then be moved so as to place one of the insulation strips over the contact finger 2G and consequently the primary circuit will be broken and ignition will be stopped. T he casing l0 and cover 45 are hardened to prevent their being opened to gain access to the plunger 24.

If the wire is cut in an effort to release the lock, the spring 43 forces the plunger 24 forward to the right of the position shown again breaking contact with the finger 26 and locking the lug 48. The tubular member 34 has two outwardly struck ears 50 to act as abutments for the dash 32, while the end 5l is screw-threaded to receive a nut 52. The members 34 and 36 are drilled to receive a metal pellet 53 which rides by gravity on the lock cylinder 37 which has a flattened portion 54 to receive it. The inside of the nut 52 is cut away by an annular groove 55. I/Vhen the lock cylinder 37 is in the unlocked position, the groove 54 permits the pellet 53 to drop so that the nut 52 can be unscrewed and the whole removed from the dash or panel 32. When locked, however, the pellet is forced up into the groove 55 so that the nut cannot be removed.

VVhile we have shown and described but a single embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement in'ay be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as covered by the appended claims.

I/Ve claim:

l. In a distributor, an interrupter, a metal casing for said interrupter, a metal cover for said casing, said casing having a lateral tubular extension, and means operable through said extension for rendering said interrupter inoperative, said means including a spring-operated plunger slidable within said extension and adapted when in a neutral position to render said interrupter operable and when in either its outer position or inner position to render said interrupter inoperative.

2. In a distributor, an interrupter and a circuit controlled thereby, a metal casing for said interrupter, a metal cover for said casing, said casing having a lateral tubular eX- tension, and means operable through said extension for rendering said interrupter inoperative, said means including a springoperated plunger slidable within said eXtension and adapted when in a neutral position to render said interrupter operable and adapted when in either its outer position or inner position to render said interrupter inoperative by breaking said circuit.

3. In a distributor, an interrupter and a circuit controlled thereby, a metal casing for said interrupter, a metal cover for said casing, said casing having a lateral tubular eX- tension, and means operable through said eX- tension for rendering said interrupter inoperative, said means including a springbperated plunger slidable within said extension and adapted when in the operative position to render said interrupter operable and to render said interrupter inoperative in another position of the plunger by breaking said circuit, said plunger serving to lock said cover on the casing when in a position to break said circuit.

4. In a distributor, an interrupter and a circuit controlled thereby, a metal casing for said interrupter, a metal cover for said casing, said Casing having a lateral tubular eX- tension, and means operable through said extension for rendering said interrupter inoperative, said means including a spring-oper ated plunger slidable within said extension and adapted when in the operative position to render said interrupter operable and to render said interrupter inoperative in another position of the plunger by breaking said circuit, said cover having an ear adapted to lie in the path of said plunger, said plunger being cut away to permit said ear to pass when in the operative position of the plunger and to stop the movement of said ear when in an inoperative position of said plunger.

Ill)

5. The device according to claim 2 characterized by said plunger and cover having portions which become engaged when the lunger moves into a position to break said circuit to lock the cover on the casing.

6. In a distributor, an interrupter, a casing for said interrupter, an extension on said casing at right angles to the distributor aXis, a plunger shiftable longitudinally within said extension, switch mechanism controlled by said plunger and connected with the interrupter circuit, a spring in said extension tending to shift said plunger to cause it to render the interrupter circuit operative, and means controlled from a remote point for shifting said plunger against the force of said springv to cause said switch to render said circuit ineffective.

7 In a distributor, an interrupter, a casing for said interrupter, a lateral extension on said Casing, a plunger shiftable within said extension, switch mechanism controlled by said plunger to control the interrupter circuit, restraining means normally holding said plunger in position to cause said switch mechanism to Close the interrupter circuit, and a spring in said extension adapted to shift said plunger to cause said switch mechanism to open said circuit when said restraining means is broken.

8. In a distributor, an interrupter, a casing for said interrupter, an extension on said casing, a plunger slidable in said extension, switch mechanism operable by said plunger for controlling the interrupter circuit, a spring within said extension tending to shift said plunger inwardly, restraining means cooperating with said spring for normally holding said plunger in position to cause the switch mechanism `to render said circuit effective, and means for actuating said restraining means to shift said plunger outwardly against the force of said spring to cause the switch mechanism to open said circuit, said spring being free to shift said plunger inwardly past its normal position to cause the switch mechainsm to open the circuit when said restraining means is rendered inelfective.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 3 day of November, 1928.

ORVILLE S. IIERSHEY. ERNEST .IVAN SICKEL. 

